Ghosts of the Past
by RuthWriter
Summary: Two and half years after Meredith and the kids return to Seattle, a ghost from the hospital's past appears. How will her presence affect Jo and Alex's relationship, and the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial as a whole?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is my very first Grey's Anatomy fic. Before you continue any farther, you need to know this is a Jolex fic. I shipped Izzex just as much as the next fan, but after she left the first time and then came back, only to continue to blame Alex and then leave again, I lost all respect for her character. However, Izzie is a human, therefore I'd like to potray her with real emotions and some human decency, like the Izzie I used to know and love. Anyways, this takes place about a year and a half after Meredith returns to Seattle. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I am not Shonda Rhimes/Satan/Ruler of All That is Evil/Genius/Whatever. So no, I don't own Grey's Anatomy.**

* * *

If Meredith was honest, this was the last thing she expected to happen today. She'd awakened to a large headache, one worse than any hangover she'd endured. Amelia diagnosed her with a severe migraine before she and Maggie headed off to work, leaving Meredith with a pounding head and three small children. She'd called Alex and Jo, who were fresh off their honey moon and still had one more day off work. Jo had agreed, claiming it was no inconvenience, that it allowed her and Alex to play house for the day. So by 10:00am, the kids were gone from the house to enjoy a day of play with their Uncle Alex and Aunt Jo.

Meredith had slept for several more hours, and then around five o'clock, she made the brave and difficult trek from her bedroom to the kitchen. Staring at the limited options in the fridge, she made a mental note that some one had to go to the store before the only thing they had left to eat was baking soda. She grabbed one of the Jello cups that were intended for the kids and a spoon from the drawer. She sat down gingerly on a bar stool at the island, and ate the gelatin in three bites. Sighing, she tossed the plastic cup in the garbage and threw the spoon in the sink, wincing at the clinking sound it made. Then a knock sounded at the door.

It probably wasn't all that loud, but Meredith could have swore someone was pounding on the door. They were not about to face a happy resident. Meredith stepped out into the hallway, heading towards the door to greet the unlucky visitor, when she stopped dead in her tracks. Because standing in the doorway, peering through her glass front door, was Isobel Stevens.

She's not sure how long she stood there, gaping at the woman on the other side of the door. Izzie's face held a sheepish grin, and she waved a little. "Hi, Mer." Her spoken words drew Meredith out of her trance a little, and she walked forwards and opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

Izzie laughed a little, attempting humor. "Hoping for a slightly more enthusiastic welcome." When Meredith didn't laugh, or even acknowledge the statement, she continued. "I have a consult with Dr. Pierce at the hospital tomorrow. So I thought I'd stop by and reconnect with some old friends. I've missed you, Mer." She stepped forward, arms open for a hug, but Meredith stepped back.

"Reconnect. Reconnect? Reconnect with some old friends? Where was all this reconnecting when a maniac came into the hospital wielding a gun? When Derek and Alex were shot? Or when my sister and Mark were killed? When we were in a freakin' plane crash. Where was all this reconnecting when my husband died two and a half years ago Izzie? Huh?"

Izzie winced at the list, having the decency to at least look ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Meredith. I wasn't really sure how to call. I mean, what would I say? 'I'm sorry I left all of you guys, but how are you feeling with all the trauma that's been inflicted upon you.'? I just didn't know what to do."

"Anything would have been better than silence."

Izzie nodded. "And I'm so, so sorry for that. I really am. I'm in town for a few days. I was just hoping that we could catch up. Maybe try to mend things. I really have missed you all."

Meredith sighed warily, before stepping aside, allowing Izzie to walk through the door.

* * *

"…and Ellie is about a year and a half now. She looks so much like Derek it's uncanny. But not in a masculine way. I guess she kind of looks like Amelia."

Izzie smiled, swiping through the pictures on Meredith's phone. "She's beautiful."

Meredith smiled, nodding her head. Izzie looked up hesitantly, about to ask the question that had been burning in her mind for a while. "Is Alex..I mean, how is he?"

Meredith opened her mouth to answer when the sound of a key turning in the lock interrupted her. "Mommy!" A young girl, who was obviously Zola, came running through the living room, followed by a dark haired woman carrying a younger child who Izzie deduced to be Ellis.

"Hey Mer, are you feeling any better? The kids wanted to get McDonald's, so I brought you some too. Just a hamburger, and fries, but I made sure they didn't put any onions-"

The woman caught sight of Izzie and stopped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was anyone else here. I'm Jo Wilson."

Izzie heard an all too familiar voice come echoing through the entryway. "Jo Wilson-Karev. Get used to saying it, 'cause I like the way it sounds. I've got the crazy one, who may of may not have a lot of caffeine in his system, just saying."

Alex Karev rounded the corner, and Izzie breathed a gasp at the sight of her ex husband, who was carrying the third Shepherd child, Bailey, over his shoulder in the fireman's lift. He dropped the child to the ground and Bailey took off running towards his mother. Alex wrapped an arm around the woman- Jo, Izzie thought she had said- before he finally noticed Izzie. His smile fell and he tightened his grip around the other woman's waist as he stared at Izzie.

She laughed nervously, smiling sheepishly. "Hey, Alex."

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter two is in the works and I hope to have it up soon. Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. So like I said before, in this story, it's been about a year and and a half since Meredith came back. In this time, Jo and Mer have obviously grown closer.**

 **Disclaimer: No. If I owned Grey's, many people would still be alive.**

* * *

"Alex! Alex come back!" Jo followed Alex out the front door. It slammed behind them as he walked briskly towards their car. "Babe." She said, laying an hand on his arm. He stopped, and leaned against the parked car, looking at her. She sighed at the look on his face. He looked broken. She put her arms around his middle, leaning her head into his chest. "I love you." She heard the intake of a shaky breath, and then his whisper. "I love you too."

They sat like that for a while, steady breathing the only sound that broke through the silence of the falling evening. After a while she pulled away, still keeping her arms around him. "So that was the bitch, huh? Should I go do a number on her?" Alex laughed and smiled at her, reaching his hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I got lucky when I married you." Jo smiled, reaching her hand down to smack his ass playfully. "Damn straight."

The mood shifted to a more serious one. "Should I go tell Mer that we'll see her in the morning?" He nodded, leaning down to give her a peck. She patted his arm and walked towards the house.

* * *

Izzie sighed as she stared at the doorway Alex has disappeared through. She'd expected a lot of things. One of her favorite fantasies was him gathering her into his arms and kissing her senseless, begging her to never leave again. Another not so pleasant option was yelling and screaming. But she hadn't expected him to just walk away.

And she certainly hadn't expected him to have a wife to go chasing after him. Izzie wasn't a fool, she knew the girl was attractive. But the girl was young, and Izzie knew that she couldn't know the things about Alex that she knew. She was young and pretty, and knowing Alex, probably a nurse or a barmaid.

But then again, he'd married her. If she was a hook-up, she could understand. But why on earth would he marry the type of girl that Jo seemed to be?

Jo walked back through the door, throwing a glance in Izzie's direction before turning her gaze towards Meredith.

"Mer, we're gonna head home. Are you okay until Maggie and Amelia get back?"

Izzie watched as Meredith nodded, standing up to go give Jo a hug. She whispered in her ear, and Jo nodded. Jo then scooped up the baby that was sitting down on the carpet, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Bailey and Zola came running up to give her a hug.

"Bye Aunt Jo!" Bailey said, waving a little after he had pulled away from the hug.

The woman laughed, waving back. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." And with a nod to Izzie, she was gone.

Meredith sighed and sank back down into the chair she was originally sitting on, watching Ellis out of the corner of her eye. She looked at her other two children. "Why don't you two go watch TV in the study while Izzie and I talk?"

Zola and Bailey scampered off into the other room, and Meredith looked up to meet Izzie's eyes. She watched as Izzie cleared her throat. "So he- uh, Alex is married?"

Meredith nodded her head. "Since about a week ago. They just got back from their honeymoon."

Izzie inhaled sharply. That was one thing she and Alex never had.

"Is he happy with her?" Meredith nodded again. "Very." Izzie sighed, frustrated. "How do you know?" Meredith narrowed her eyes. "Because Alex is one of my very best friends, and I've never seen him happier. It's like they're made for each other."

Izzie crossed her arms, leaning back on the sofa. "What's she like?"

Meredith grew angrier, leaning forward in her seat. "You know Iz, I don't think that's any of your business. You and Alex have been over for a long time, after you walked out on him not once, but twice. On all of us. I know the third time he told you to go, and he was right. You never cared very much about any of our lives up until now, so I don't think you've earned the right to know anything about Jo."

Izzie sighed and stood. "I think I should go." Meredith nodded, remaining seated in her chair. "Maybe you should." An awkward silence ensued, both waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Izzie spoke. "I guess I'll probably see you tomorrow." Meredith nodded again, looking down at her lap. When she looked back up, Izzie was gone.

* * *

Izzie closed the front door quietly, looking around the porch. She had so many memories of this place. Good ones, and bad ones. She smiled when she looked at the porch swing, remembering many an evening spent there. She sighed and turned away, jogging down the stairs. A car pulled into the driveway, headlines blinding her. The engine turned off and the lights went away. She heard car doors slam, and she saw two women. A darker one, with curly black hair, and one with ivory skin and dark hair.

"Hi there." The darker woman spoke first, waving her hand a little. "Can I help you?"

Izzie fumbled a little, reaching her hand out to shake the other girl's. "I'm Izzie Stevens. I was just, um, visiting Mer."

Izzie heard a sharp intake of breath from the younger woman, but the other one just smiled. "Oh, Dr. Stevens? I'm Maggie Pierce. You're my consult in the morning." Izzie nodded, breaking into a grin. "Oh, of course. It's nice to meet you." Maggie glanced back at the other woman who was with her, raising her eyebrow. She nudged the woman and she smiled slightly, reaching her hand forward. "I'm Amelia Shepherd. I've heard quite a lot about you, Izzie." Izzie shook the hand, feeling a knot of cold form in her stomach. "I'm sure they've not been good things." Izzie laughed nervously, clasping her hands together. "Oh well, you know, I am Derek's sister. And the hospital is quite the rumor mill." Izzie plastered a fake smile, backing a way a little. "Well it was so very nice to meet you ladies. I guess I'll see you in the morning." She turned and headed towards her car that was parked on the street, leaving a stewing Amelia and very confused Maggie Pierce behind.

* * *

Jo sighed, rolling over to face her husband in bed. "You know, I can practically hear you thinking over there. Alex gave a smirk, patting her arm. "I guess that's because you're not used to thinking yourself." He halfheartedly teased. She gave a look of fake offense anyway, because she knew that's what he wanted.

A few more moments passed before Jo jerked Alex closer to her, looking him in the eye. "What's going on inside that big ugly head of yours?" Alex sighed. "I just- Izzie coming back stirred up a lot of feelings." Jo widened her eyes. "Oh."

"No, no, no. Not that kind." Alex backtracked, taking a deep breath and starting again. "All through our marriage, and even in our relationship, she never made me feel like I was good enough. In fact, on more that one occasion, she practically told me I wasn't. And she never really trusted me and it hurt but sometimes I wonder…"

Jo tilted her head. "You're insecure?"

Alex laughed, playing it off. "What? No. I'm not…I mean I'd never…" Jo smiled, crawling on top of her husband. She looped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. "You," she leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "are one of the most sexy," another kiss, on his neck, "kind," the kisses trailed lower down his bare chest, "wonderful human beings I know. I love you so much. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you, Alex, and I couldn't be happier about it. You are all I need."

Alex grinned, pulling her back up to his level, and kissing her thoroughly. When he pulled away they were both smiling, and he reached his hand down to squeeze her ass. She raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Didn't you say you were tired earlier?" He shook his head. "Not anymore."

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: You may notice that I'm kind of incorporating a lot of my favorite ships in here without making them overwhelming. I just can't help it. So I know that Callie defended Izzie to Dr. Hahn, but I don't think that means she wouldn't still harbor some hard feelings towards her. Trying to run with that a little. Also assume that all the characters have a tighter bond now. Especially Mer, Alex, Jo, Callie, Amelia, Owen, and Maggie.**

 **Disclaimer: Well Slexie is dead soo...no.**

* * *

"Amelia, what the hell was that?" Maggie said after Dr. Stevens' car disappeared. Amelia whirled to look at her, eyes wide. "What the hell was that? What the hell is with you inviting Alex Karev's ex wife to Grey Sloan Memorial for a consult?!"

Maggie gasped. "That…that's _the_ Izzie?"

Amelia nodded her head slowly, motioning down the street. "Why do you think we saw Alex's car speeding out of here like something was on fire?"

Maggie sighed, running a hand over her face. "What do I do?" Amelia shrugged, heading towards the house. "I don't think there's much you can do. She's already here now. You better just hope no lasting damage comes out of this little visit. How long is she in town for, anyway?"

Maggie followed her, crossing her arms. "We had agreed on a week, but depending on my patients condition…"

"It could be much longer." Amelia finished for her, swinging open the door of the house.

* * *

Izzie walked down the sidewalk leading to Seattle Grace- well, Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Other than the name, not much seemed to have changed. From the outside anyway. But from her visit with Meredith, she could already tell much had changed when it came to the personal relationships.

As she strolled through the building, heading to look for Dr. Pierce, she recognized several nurses who were still there from her time. She waved, but only a few waved back. The others were too busy staring at her. Finally, she found Dr. Pierce.

"Oh, hi Dr. Stevens." Izzie noticed the look of apprehension on the woman's face, and realized she must have been filled in on her history.

"Hello Dr. Pierce. I just want to say this now, I am here for professional reasons. Any history I have with this hospital and it's staff will not affect the job I do here today, and I hope it won't affect yours either."

Dr. Pierce considered for a moment. "You should know that Alex and I are friends, so I am slightly biased towards this situation. I won't let it interfere with our professional relationship though."

Izzie nodded, and Dr. Pierce led her into the patients room.

* * *

Alex groaned, plopping his tray down at the table, sitting down next to Jo. Meredith raised an eyebrow and merely turned to Jo. "Where's Edwards?" Jo sighed, twirling her fork around some suspicious looking pasta. "Steph's still on vacation. I'm starting to wish we were still gone too." Meredith smiled. "I know you don't mean that. You love to cut too much." Jo laughed, nodding her head. "That's true."

Callie plopped down next to Meredith at the table, raising an eyebrow. "Why is everyone staring at you guys and whispering? This is like the time everyone found out Derek was married and had been sleeping with Meredith." Meredith smirked but Alex merely rolled his eyes. Jo looked at her mentor, confused. "You haven't heard yet?"

"Heard what? I just got in. Sofia caught the flu. Arizona still has it, so I obviously couldn't drop her there. It took the sitter forever to get there."

Meredith and Jo exchanged a look, and Callie leaned forward, interest piqued. "What is it?" They were silent for a moment more, trying to decide what to say, when Alex finally broke the silence. "Izzie's back." He spat, tossing an apple back and forth between his hands. Callie choked on a bite of her salad. "Izzie? As in, Izzie Stevens? Your ex-wife? The woman who my husband cheated on me with?" Alex nodded. "One in the same." He remarked sarcastically, taking a crunchy bite from the apple. "I don't like that girl." Callie said, crumpling a napkin in her fist. Jo laughed. "I think the feeling is pretty unanimous."

Callie grinned, reaching across to steal a chip from Jo. "So am I going to get to see Izzie Steven's ass whooped? Do it Wilson. I almost did it once you know. She ran away all day thinking I was going to…" Callie dissolved into giggles, while Meredith and Alex laughed heartily along, obviously recalling the memory. "So is she still pining over the lost love of Alex Karev?" Callie teased. Alex narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak when Amelia appeared suddenly, sliding into a seat and cutting him off. "Actually, I've taken the liberty of Google-ing Dr. Stevens. It seems she's been married again. Twice."

Meredith scrunched her face up. "Twice?" Amelia nodded, throwing her arm around Alex's shoulder comically. "Divorced. Twice." Jo whistled, and Meredith leaned back in her seat while Callie mumbled defensively. "Hey, I was divorced twice." Meredith nudged her, smiling. "Yeah, but counting me, it's actually three." Alex said, finishing the last of his apple and tossing the core onto his tray.

"Crazy ex wife, on your left." Callie muttered, gathering up her tray. "Come on Wilson, we've got bones to set." Jo kissed the top of Alex's head, whispering in his ear. "Find me if you need me." Then she ran off after Callie.

Meredith looked up to smile at Izzie. "Hey." She stretched the word out, dragging the end until it no longer sounded like a word at all. "Hey, Mer. Mind if I sit?" Meredith glanced at Alex, who shrugged, before nodding her head. "Have a seat."

Izzie chose the seat Callie had vacated, beside Meredith and directly across from Jo's empty seat. The table sat in relative silence before Maggie made her way over, plopping down on the other side of Meredith, across from Amelia. "Has anyone seen Owen?" She asked, taking a sip out of her water. "He's been in surgery all morning." Amelia's words came out muffled because of her full mouth. Maggie nodded.

Awkward silence enveloped the table once more, and then Maggie broke it again. "So, um, Owen called me a 'twisted sister' yesterday. What does that mean?" Meredith and Alex laughed. "It was this thing that Derek and Owen used to call Cristina and I, since we were all 'dark and twisty'. I haven't heard that in ages."

"He called me that the other day too. I've been trying to figure it out." Amelia scoffed. "I guess I'm about as dark and twisty as they come."

"I'm not dark and twisty!" Maggie exclaimed, leaning back in her chair. "Eh, you're the daughter of Ellis Grey. You've got to have some dark and twisty in there somewhere." Alex remarked, condensing the trash Jo left behind with his own.

"Wait, what to you mean Ellis Grey's daughter?" Izzie asked, eyebrow's knit in confusion. Maggie laughed. "Ellis and Richard are my biological parents. I was adopted."

"Richard Webber? So you and Meredith are sisters?" Maggie nodded. "Hey, Amelia's my sister too. We actually are twisted sisters." Meredith chuckled. "We should get t-shirts made."

A pager went off, and Alex looked at his before gathering his things and running off. "Gotta go. Some idiot intern probably killed a kid."

Izzie laughed. "Nice to see Alex hasn't changed." Meredith smirked. "I wouldn't bet on that."

"What do you mean?" Izzie asked quizzically, scooping a spoonful of food into her mouth. "Alex is just a lot different, that's all. He's more mature and settled. I mean, my kids call him Uncle Alex, if that tells you anything. And I'm still like ninety percent sure they like him better than me."

"He's almost like a parent." Maggie added. "When Meredith took off for almost a year, Alex called her everyday. Several times a day."

"And that's just when the rest of you weren't." Meredith joked. "You guys were really clingy."

* * *

 **A/N: I read an interview that said Season 12 was doing to be much lighter, so I'm trying to play from that theme a little. I know, no big Alex/Izzie confrontation yet. It'll happen eventually, I promise.**

 **Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: To the guest who left the review about disliking the foursome of Meredith/Callie/Alex/Maggie. I don't care for Maggie much at this point either. She could be a character I grow to love, but I'm just not sure about her yet. Lexie will always have a special place in my heart, so seeing Mer take this quickly to Maggie is slightly unsettling for me. I do agree that Alex would not be as close to Callie as he would be to Arizona. Mostly, I had Callie more prominently in that last chapter because I needed someone else who could reflect on Izzie's past. Also, remember, this is more than two years into the future. A lot can happen in two years. I feel like by that point, given that Alex and Jo are married in the fic, Alex and Callie might grow closer than they are in the show right now, since it seems they are trying to throw Jo into the direction of Ortho, and by association, Callie. I do think he would still be closer to Arizona however, which I think you will find reflected in this chapter. I think the group of doctors are closer, as a whole, since the death of Derek, in this story anyway. That includes everyone.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I think it would be nice for Alex to have a couple of guy friends, so in this fic, he has grown closer to Jackson.**

 **Disclaimer: I really wish I did. Then thing would go well for my ships. Alas, I have nothing but my computer, imagination, and this website.**

* * *

"Your patients are fine. Just focus on getting this out of your system so you can come back without infecting us all." Alex rolled his eyes as he listened to Arizona jabber endlessly on the phone about all her very important patients that need tending to. "I'm covering your patients. So is the OB. It's fine."

"That's all well and fine Alex, and I have complete trust in your capabilities, I do. But what happens if there's an emergency? You aren't exactly trained for in-uterus surgery. And most of the tiny humans I care for are not ready to come into the world yet!" Arizona rambled.

"Look, Pierce has a consult with a neonatal surgeon. She's staying in town for a while. I'm sure if something goes horribly wrong, she can step in." Izzie wasn't Alex's favorite topic in the world, but if it put Arizona's mind at ease long enough for her to shut her mouth, he'd mention her.

"Who is it? I want to check their credentials."

"Dr. Isobel Stevens." He mumbled, hoping she wouldn't make the connection.

"Dr. Stevens? That sounds familiar. Maybe I met her once at…wait a minute. Alex, isn't that-"

"Yes," Alex said quickly, cutting her off. "she's my ex wife. Maggie called my freaking ex wife out here for a consult."

Arizona sighed, speaking her words carefully. "Are you…are you okay with this? With her being here?"

"I'm going to have to be. Look, I gotta go. Your patients are fine, I'll call you if anything happens. Just get some rest so you can get back here soon." Alex hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket. He walked into the attending's lounge, thankful when the only person occupying it was Jackson, who was scribbling notes in some files. He grabbed a pack of chips from the cabinet and sat down on the couch. Jackson looked up from the file, raising an eyebrow. "So I heard Izzie's back."

"You actually remember her?" Alex scoffed, giving Jackson a dubious look. Jackson shrugged. "I have vague memories. Honestly, April remembers more about her than I do." Alex nodded. "Are you okay with the fact that she's back?" Alex shrugged indifferently. "Honestly, I don't have any feelings for her anymore. It's just weird seeing her here. The hospital has been just mine for so long. It's kind of like I got it in the divorce. It's just…weird."

Jackson nodded. "I can see that. Have you guys talked? Or has she tried talking to you? Usually when someone show up at their ex husband's place of work, they at least try to talk about what happened. I'm assuming, anyway."

Alex scrunched up his nose. "No. And I don't really want to talk to her anyway. What's done is done. It's over now. It's been over for a long time. Besides, she came for one of Maggie's cases, not to reconnect with me. She didn't have a choice."

"She could have said no. I don't think many girls jump at the chance to go visit their ex's hospital without a slight ulterior motive. Does she know you're married?" Alex nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately Jo and I were bringing Mer's kids home at the exact moment Izzie decided to pay her a visit."

Jackson grimaced. "That sounds like so much fun. How's Jo handling it?" Alex leaned back on the couch. "I think she's okay. I mean, she's got nothing to be worried about, and I think she knows that. Izzie is more of an annoyance than a problem."

Jackson nodded. "Hey, April's heading over to check on Arizona tonight, which will probably last for a couple of hours. Want to grab a drink after work or something?" Alex agreed. "Yeah. I think Jo was going with her, so I've got nothing better to do." He joked.

Jackson leaned back in his seat. "I'm offended. What about 'bros before hoes' or whatever?" Alex smirked. "I don't think you can entertain me the way my wife can." Jackson laughed, standing up to gather his files. "Fair enough."

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Meredith said, sliding onto a bar stool next to Izzie. "Where are your kids?" Izzie returned, sipping out of her glass. She'd arrived at Joe's about half an hour ago, and her eyes had been glued to a certain man from her past ever since. "With Maggie. Now answer my question. What do you think you're doing?" Meredith repeated, narrowing her eyes. "Feeling nostalgic." She deflected, turning back towards the bar. "Well stop feeling nostalgic about him." Izzie sighed. "We used to be friends, Mer. Good friends. You let Alex and I get married at what was supposed to be your wedding. You were his best man at that wedding for God's sake. You used to love him and I together. What happened?"

Meredith leaned forward. "Exactly. I was his best man. Not your maid of honor. If things had gone differently, Izzie, and the situations were reversed, and he left instead of you, I would probably be doing the same thing for you that I'm doing for him. When you left the last time, you didn't just leave Alex, you left all of this. You told me that this wasn't your home anymore. That it was just a place you worked. You basically told me that I was not near important enough to you for you to stay. That I didn't matter to you. Since Cristina left, Alex has been my person. So I'll protect him from whatever I can. Even if it's you."

Maybe it was because she'd had three drinks already and was feeling a slight buzz coming on. Maybe it was because she'd had a bit of shitty day. Maybe it was because she'd had it up to here with people telling her to leave Alex alone. Whatever it was, Izzie rolled her eyes and snapped sarcastically. "I can feel nostalgic about whoever the hell I want, Meredith."

But she wasn't done. "Alex and I were married. That counts for something. I can feel nostalgic about it if I want to. I can think about him if I want to. Nobody tries to stop you from feeling nostalgic about your dead husband." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, her buzzed brain not realizing just what she'd said until she saw the look on Meredith's face. "Mer, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Meredith held her hand up. "You're right, no one tells me to stop feeling nostalgic about Derek. But there are many differences between Derek and I, and you and Alex. I did not accuse Derek of getting me fired. I did not walk out on Derek without even a word, informing him of my leaving in a letter. I didn't leave Derek with no forwarding address for the mountains of bills I left behind. I didn't come back later, only to still believe that Derek got me fired, and not listen to any defense he had. I did not come back, weeks later, expecting to be welcomed back. And I did not desert all my friends, and my husband. I did not stay away, not bothering to even call when my friends and husband were slammed with tragedy after tragedy. And I didn't show up, some eight or more years later, out of nowhere, with no warning at all. It's not the same thing, Izzie. I know you say you came back here to reconnect, but don't even try reconnecting with Alex. And you're about to lose your chance with me."

Meredith slid back off the bar stool. "I'm so sorry Mer, I wasn't-" Meredith turned back around, cutting her off. "Don't call me that. Only my friends call me that." She said tiredly, turning to walk out the door.

Izzie sighed, placing her head in her hands. She turned her gaze back towards Alex, who was still sitting in a booth with the Mercy Wester- Jackson, she thought his name was.

* * *

"Does she think we can't see her staring?" Jackson asked through a fake smile, jerking his head towards the blonde sitting at the bar. Alex shrugged. "Who even knows. She never was very subtle with her gaping."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Oh, here comes Grey." He muttered. "Looks like they're arguing. Maybe she's defending your honor." He teased, with a knowing smirk. "Probably. She takes this 'you're my person stuff' way too seriously." Alex scoffed with a begrudging smile.

"Oh, she's taking off. She looks really angry." Alex glanced towards Meredith. "Yeah, she's definitely pissed." They watched as Meredith stormed out the door, and Izzie put her head in her hands. Then they felt her attention turn back towards them. Alex sighed. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

Jackson laughed. "Where? This is literally the only bar we go to." Alex shrugged. "I don't know. To Arizona's if we have to. Just anywhere that my ex wife isn't." Jackson nodded and they grabbed their coats, standing up to leave the booth. They made it about halfway to the door when Izzie jumped up to meet them. "Heyyyy guys. What're you up to?" She said enthusiastically, swinging her arms back and forth.

"We were just headed out." Jackson flashed a smile and she grinned back. "Oh really? I was hoping we could catch up." Alex smirked. "Maybe another time." He said sarcastically, brushing past her to move towards the door. "I'll hold you to that!" Izzie called after them, making her way back to her seat. "Right." He muttered, letting the door slam behind them.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading, chapter 5 will be up soon! Maybe not tomorrow, but it should definitely be up by at least Monday. Reviews make my day, even if they're just a word or two.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know this is super late. Sorry about that, my classes started and I've been super busy with assignments and such. I'm still going to try to update as regularly as I can though.**

 **So there's some Japril in here. We're just going to assume that in the future they are fine and have a strong marriage. They're Jolex's couple friends. You know, the ones you go on double dates with in such. Like when Crowen and MerDer almost went to Valentine's dinner together til they saw the ambulances. That type of thing.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

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"I'm just saying that maybe you should confront her about it." Jo chose her words carefully, crossing across the room to grab a drink out of their refrigerator. "It might help you. Provide closure."

"I don't want any closure, I want her to be gone!" Alex exclaimed, resting his arms on the counter top. "Everything is fine in my life- great actually- without having to confront Izzie Stevens. I have a beautiful, pig-headed wife, and a nice home. Why should I change anything?"

'The loft and I aren't going anywhere, Alex. But isn't there some small part of you that wants to lay everything with her to rest? So you can move on with your life?" Jo reasoned. "I have laid it to rest. There's nothing more for me to say to her. She was selfish, the relationship was one-sided. After everything I did for her, she just left without even giving me the benefit of the doubt. Leaving me with medical bills of hers to pay. She came back, still blaming me. She left, and I'm sure part of her still blames me. I'm done with her. I'm fed up, and a part of me almost hates her. I have nothing to say to her." Alex ran a hand over his face. Jo paused, before laying a hand on his arm. "How about you say that?"

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"Alex is mad at me." Jo complained, leaning against the wall. "Why?" April asked, pacing the floor of the lounge. "Because I keep pushing him to talk to Izzie. I mean, this is the healthy thing to do right? Confront your past so you can move?" April moved to lean against the wall beside her. "I guess so. But this is Alex we're talking about. He's not going to do something he doesn't want to do. He doesn't see that it could help him, only that he doesn't want to do it." Jo sighed, turning her head. "Then what do I do?" April laughed. "Heck if I know. I never claimed to be an expert on Alex Karev. This seems like a Meredith question." Jo sighed. "It is, but she's in surgery. And Jackson said the same thing you did. Arizona is pretty useless, she's been reduced to nothing more than a ball of germs and sniffling."

April smiled, pushing off the wall to pace again. Jo raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" April stopped, opening her mouth, then closing it again. She shook her head, and continued pacing. "Come on, you can tell me. Whatever it is, I might can help. You're freaking me out with all this pacing." April stopped again, moving closer to Jo. "Whatever I say, does not leave this room. You can't tell anyone, not even Arizona. And especially not Jackson. I haven't told anyone yet." Jo nodded, leaning closer. "I'm pregnant." April said in a hushed tone, clasping her hands. "Really? That's so exciting! Why haven't you told anyone?! This is so great, April!" Jo stepped forward and hugged her.

Finally April smiled. "Isn't it? I haven't told anyone yet because…well, what happened with Samuel…I just want to be sure that isn't happening again before I tell Jackson. That's the right thing to do, isn't it?"

Jo shrugged. "I mean, it's your decision. You know Jackson better than anyone. So I think the best thing to do is to go with what you think will work out best in the long run." April nodded slowly. Then she grinned, bigger than ever. "I'm going to be a mom again." She laughed, tearing up again. Jo nodded, feeling her own eyes sting a bit. "Yes you are." She pulled April in for a hug again and patted her back.

They women pulled apart as the door clicked open and Dr. Stevens entered. Jo groaned internally and April cut her eyes over at her. Jo smirked at the surprised look on Izzie's face. "Hello, Dr. Stevens." Izzie blinked and opened her mouth, stuttering. "Oh hi, um, Dr, uh, Karev." Jo laughed. "I still have Wilson on the lab coat, so you can call me that until Alex makes me change it to Wilson-Karev." Izzie nodded, smiling weakly. "I didn't know you worked here." Jo stuffed her hands in her pocket, but April spoke before she could respond. "She's got a real knack for Ortho. Almost better than Dr. Torres," April smiled at Jo, raising her eyebrows, and Jo smiled back. Izzie nodded, sticking her hand out towards April.

"Dr. Kepner, right? I remember you. It's nice to see you again." April shook her hand. "Likewise." An awkward silence ensued, and April backed towards the door. "Well, I've got to um, go make plans." She smiled sheepishly at Jo, who just nodded. "Yeah, call me later, okay? I want to talk to you some more." April nodded before disappearing through the door.

Jo turned back to Izzie. "So, uh, where do you live now?" She asked, wishing desperately that her pager would go off. "I'm in Georgia right now. Thinking about moving though." Izzie offered, pouring a cup of coffee. "Oh really? Why?" Izzie turned slightly, smirking. "My divorce. I just sort of need to get away from all that." Jo nodded slowly, thinking back to what Amelia had said earlier in the cafeteria. "Where do you think you'll go?" Izzie shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe some place where I know people." Jo's eyes widened, but before she could ask where exactly she meant, her pager went off. She groaned internally and glanced at it, before turning towards the door. "Sorry, ortho emergency. Gotta run." She let the door slam behind her. Now she needed to talk to Meredith about two things.

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"She's what?!" April's shrill voice came across the phone, and Jo fell back against the bed. "I think she's planning on moving back here!" She lowered her voice a little as she thought about her husband and Meredith's kids playing in the other room. "Why in the world would she do that?" April asked. "This is what I'm saying." Jo sighed, pulling the cell phone closer to her face. "Have you told Alex yet?"

"No. He'll probably freak. I really need to talk to Mer so we can come up with a way for me to tell him, but she's been in surgery all day long. We had to pick up her kids from day care."

"Oh. Sorry about ditching you earlier. I was preoccupied with the Jackson thing."

Jo laughed. "It's okay. Have you told him yet?"

"No. He had some paperwork to do at the hospital, so I'm cooking dinner for us to eat when he gets home. I'll tell him then." Jo heard the clatter of a pan and April mutter a profanity. "A dinner that I'm about to burn. I've got to go. Talk to you later?"

"Sure. Good luck!" Jo hung up the phone and stood up, sliding it in her pocket. She slipped into the living room just in time to see her husband sliding a blanket over the Grey-Shepherd kids as they slept on the couch. He put his finger over his lips and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen.

She pulled the door closed gently behind them. "I'm sorry we fought earlier." Alex offered, smiling sheepishly. "Me too." Jo returned the smile as her husband reached forward and pulled her into a kiss. It was rather dirty and his hand reached up to grasp her breast. She pulled away, laughing. "What was that for?"

Alex rested his forehead against hers. "I wanted to do that as soon as we got home, but then we had to pick up the kids." His hands cupped her ass, pulling her closer to him.

She smacked his arm lightly. "Yeah well, the kids are still here, so you'll have to keep those hands to yourself a little bit longer, Mr. Karev." He smirked. "That goes for you too, Mrs. Karev." She laughed and reached into the pantry to pull out a bag of chips, munching on them thoughtfully.

"What's going on?" Alex asked after a while. Jo hesitated, still not sure how to tell him. "Come on, just tell me. It can't be that bad." Jo sighed, placing her hands on the counter behind her. "Izzie might be moving back." Alex blinked. "That's a stupid idea. Why would she do that?" Jo shrugged. "Something about wanting to be near her friends." "Well I don't think she has many friends left here." Alex muttered. Jo nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I mean, she can do what she wants. It's her life. She can ruin it if she wants to."

Jo furrowed her brows, not convinced. "You sure?" He shrugged. "Yeah. I don't really give a damn about her anymore."

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 **A/N: Who's ready for tomorrow? I'm so excited. Review?**


	6. AN

**A/N: I'm not dead, and I haven't forgotten about this story, I promise. I've just been so busy with college classes. Also, the Jo I portray in this story is not the Jo that has been showing up on screen lately, and that just bugs me. So, until I can get my muse back up, I'm not going to be updating this story. I haven't given up on it, I just find it too hard to write. I hope you guys understand. I did just upload a new Japril fic, and there is a possibility I will add more chapters to that, so go check it out if that's your cup of tea. Sorry guys.**


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